Methods and systems for routing in a state machine

ABSTRACT

A device includes a routing buffer. The routing buffer includes a first port configured to receive a signal relating to an analysis of at least a portion of a data stream. The routing buffer also includes a second port configured to selectively provide the signal to a first routing line of a block of a state machine at a first time. The routing buffer further includes a third port configured to selectively provide the signal to a second routing line of the block of the state machine at the first time.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to electronic devices and,more specifically, in certain embodiments, to electronic devices withparallel finite state machines for pattern-recognition.

2. Description of Related Art

Complex pattern recognition can be inefficient to perform on aconventional von Neumann based computer. A biological brain, inparticular a human brain, however, is adept at performing patternrecognition. Current research suggests that a human brain performspattern recognition using a series of hierarchically organized neuronlayers in the neocortex. Neurons in the lower layers of the hierarchyanalyze “raw signals” from, for example, sensory organs, while neuronsin higher layers analyze signal outputs from neurons in the lowerlevels. This hierarchical system in the neocortex, possibly incombination with other areas of the brain, accomplishes the complexpattern recognition that enables humans to perform high level functionssuch as spatial reasoning, conscious thought, and complex language.

In the field of computing, pattern recognition tasks are increasinglychallenging. Ever larger volumes of data are transmitted betweencomputers, and the number of patterns that users wish to identify isincreasing. For example, spam or malware are often detected by searchingfor patterns in a data stream, e.g., particular phrases or pieces ofcode. The number of patterns increases with the variety of spam andmalware, as new patterns may be implemented to search for new variants.Searching a data stream for each of these patterns can form a computingbottleneck. Often, as the data stream is received, it is searched foreach pattern, one at a time. The delay before the system is ready tosearch the next portion of the data stream increases with the number ofpatterns. Thus, pattern recognition may slow the receipt of data.

Hardware has been designed to search a data stream for patterns, butthis hardware often is unable to process adequate amounts of data in anamount of time given. Some devices configured to search a data stream doso by distributing the data stream among a plurality of circuits. Thecircuits each determine whether the data stream matches a portion of apattern. Often, a large number of circuits operate in parallel, eachsearching the data stream at generally the same time. However, there hasnot been a system that effectively allows for performing patternrecognition in a manner more comparable to that of a biological brain.Development of such a system is desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of system having a state machine engine,according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an FSM lattice of the state machineengine of FIG. 1, according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a block of the FSM lattice of FIG. 2,according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a row of the block of FIG. 3, accordingto various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a Group of Two of the row of FIG. 4,according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a finite state machine graph, accordingto various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of two-level hierarchy implemented withFSM lattices, according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a method for a compiler to convertsource code into a binary file for programming of the FSM lattice ofFIG. 2, according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a state machine engine, according to variousembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an illustrates a second example of a row of theblock of FIG. 3, according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates the intra-block switch of FIG. 10, according tovarious embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a first buffer of FIG. 3, according to variousembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a second buffer of FIG. 3, according to variousembodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of aprocessor-based system, generally designated by reference numeral 10.The system 10 may be any of a variety of types such as a desktopcomputer, laptop computer, pager, cellular phone, personal organizer,portable audio player, control circuit, camera, etc. The system 10 mayalso be a network node, such as a router, a server, or a client (e.g.,one of the previously-described types of computers). The system 10 maybe some other sort of electronic device, such as a copier, a scanner, aprinter, a game console, a television, a set-top video distribution orrecording system, a cable box, a personal digital media player, afactory automation system, an automotive computer system, or a medicaldevice. (The terms used to describe these various examples of systems,like many of the other terms used herein, may share some referents and,as such, should not be construed narrowly in virtue of the other itemslisted.)

In a typical processor-based device, such as the system 10, a processor12, such as a microprocessor, controls the processing of systemfunctions and requests in the system 10. Further, the processor 12 maycomprise a plurality of processors that share system control. Theprocessor 12 may be coupled directly or indirectly to each of theelements in the system 10, such that the processor 12 controls thesystem 10 by executing instructions that may be stored within the system10 or external to the system 10.

In accordance with the embodiments described herein, the system 10includes a state machine engine 14, which may operate under control ofthe processor 12. The state machine engine 14 may employ any one of anumber of state machine architectures, including, but not limited toMealy architectures, Moore architectures, Finite State Machines (FSMs),Deterministic FSMs (DFSMs), Bit-Parallel State Machines (BPSMs), etc.Though a variety of architectures may be used, for discussion purposes,the application refers to FSMs. However, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the described techniques may be employed using any oneof a variety of state machine architectures.

As discussed further below, the state machine engine 14 may include anumber of (e.g., one or more) finite state machine (FSM) lattices. EachFSM lattice may include multiple FSMs that each receive and analyze thesame data in parallel. Further, the FSM lattices may be arranged ingroups (e.g., clusters), such that clusters of FSM lattices may analyzethe same input data in parallel. Further, clusters of FSM lattices ofthe state machine engine 14 may be arranged in a hierarchical structurewherein outputs from state machine lattices on a lower level of thehierarchical structure may be used as inputs to state machine latticeson a higher level. By cascading clusters of parallel FSM lattices of thestate machine engine 14 in series through the hierarchical structure,increasingly complex patterns may be analyzed (e.g., evaluated,searched, etc.).

Further, based on the hierarchical parallel configuration of the statemachine engine 14, the state machine engine 14 can be employed forpattern recognition in systems that utilize high processing speeds. Forinstance, embodiments described herein may be incorporated in systemswith processing speeds of 1 GByte/sec. Accordingly, utilizing the statemachine engine 14, data from high speed memory devices or other externaldevices may be rapidly analyzed for various patterns. The state machineengine 14 may analyze a data stream according to several criteria, andtheir respective search terms, at about the same time, e.g., during asingle device cycle. Each of the FSM lattices within a cluster of FSMson a level of the state machine engine 14 may each receive the samesearch term from the data stream at about the same time, and each of theparallel FSM lattices may determine whether the term advances the statemachine engine 14 to the next state in the processing criterion. Thestate machine engine 14 may analyze terms according to a relativelylarge number of criteria, e.g., more than 100, more than 110, or morethan 10,000. Because they operate in parallel, they may apply thecriteria to a data stream having a relatively high bandwidth, e.g., adata stream of greater than or generally equal to 1 GByte/sec, withoutslowing the data stream.

In one embodiment, the state machine engine 14 may be configured torecognize (e.g., detect) a great number of patterns in a data stream.For instance, the state machine engine 14 may be utilized to detect apattern in one or more of a variety of types of data streams that a useror other entity might wish to analyze. For example, the state machineengine 14 may be configured to analyze a stream of data received over anetwork, such as packets received over the Internet or voice or datareceived over a cellular network. In one example, the state machineengine 14 may be configured to analyze a data stream for spam ormalware. The data stream may be received as a serial data stream, inwhich the data is received in an order that has meaning, such as in atemporally, lexically, or semantically significant order. Alternatively,the data stream may be received in parallel or out of order and, then,converted into a serial data stream, e.g., by reordering packetsreceived over the Internet. In some embodiments, the data stream maypresent terms serially, but the bits expressing each of the terms may bereceived in parallel. The data stream may be received from a sourceexternal to the system 10, or may be formed by interrogating a memorydevice, such as the memory 16, and forming the data stream from datastored in the memory 16. In other examples, the state machine engine 14may be configured to recognize a sequence of characters that spell acertain word, a sequence of genetic base pairs that specify a gene, asequence of bits in a picture or video file that form a portion of animage, a sequence of bits in an executable file that form a part of aprogram, or a sequence of bits in an audio file that form a part of asong or a spoken phrase. The stream of data to be analyzed may includemultiple bits of data in a binary format or other formats, e.g., baseten, ASCII, etc. The stream may encode the data with a single digit ormultiple digits, e.g., several binary digits.

As will be appreciated, the system 10 may include memory 16. The memory16 may include volatile memory, such as Dynamic Random Access Memory(DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM),Double Data Rate DRAM (DDR SDRAM), DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, etc. Thememory 16 may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory(ROM), PC-RAM, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory,metal-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (MONOS) memory, polysilicon floatinggate based memory, and/or other types of flash memory of variousarchitectures (e.g., NAND memory, NOR memory, etc.) to be used inconjunction with the volatile memory. The memory 16 may include one ormore memory devices, such as DRAM devices, that may provide data to beanalyzed by the state machine engine 14. Such devices may be referred toas or include solid state drives (SSD's), MultimediaMediaCards (MMC's),SecureDigital (SD) cards, CompactFlash (CF) cards, or any other suitabledevice. Further, it should be appreciated that such devices may coupleto the system 10 via any suitable interface, such as Universal SerialBus (USB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PCI Express (PCI-E),Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), IEEE 1394 (Firewire), or anyother suitable interface. To facilitate operation of the memory 16, suchas the flash memory devices, the system 10 may include a memorycontroller (not illustrated). As will be appreciated, the memorycontroller may be an independent device or it may be integral with theprocessor 12. Additionally, the system 10 may include an externalstorage 18, such as a magnetic storage device. The external storage mayalso provide input data to the state machine engine 14.

The system 10 may include a number of additional elements. For instance,a compiler 20 may be used to program the state machine engine 14, asdescribed in more detail with regard to FIG. 8. An input device 22 mayalso be coupled to the processor 12 to allow a user to input data intothe system 10. For instance, an input device 22 may be used to inputdata into the memory 16 for later analysis by the state machine engine14. The input device 22 may include buttons, switching elements, akeyboard, a light pen, a stylus, a mouse, and/or a voice recognitionsystem, for instance. An output device 24, such as a display may also becoupled to the processor 12. The display 24 may include an LCD, a CRT,LEDs, and/or an audio display, for example. They system may also includea network interface device 26, such as a Network Interface Card (NIC),for interfacing with a network, such as the Internet. As will beappreciated, the system 10 may include many other components, dependingon the application of the system 10.

FIGS. 2-5 illustrate an example of a FSM lattice 30. In an example, theFSM lattice 30 comprises an array of blocks 32. As will be described,each block 32 may include a plurality of selectively couple-ablehardware elements (e.g., programmable elements and/or special purposeelements) that correspond to a plurality of states in a FSM. Similar toa state in a FSM, a hardware element can analyze an input stream andactivate a downstream hardware element, based on the input stream.

The programmable elements can be programmed to implement many differentfunctions. For instance, the programmable elements may include statemachine elements (SMEs) 34, 36 (shown in FIG. 5) that are hierarchicallyorganized into rows 38 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) and blocks 32 (shown inFIGS. 2 and 3). To route signals between the hierarchically organizedSMEs 34, 36, a hierarchy of programmable switching elements can be used,including inter-block switching elements 40 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3),intra-block switching elements 42 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) and intra-rowswitching elements 44 (shown in FIG. 4).

As described below, the switching elements may include routingstructures and buffers. A SME 34, 36 can correspond to a state of a FSMimplemented by the FSM lattice 30. The SMEs 34, 36 can be coupledtogether by using the programmable switching elements as describedbelow. Accordingly, a FSM can be implemented on the FSM lattice 30 byprogramming the SMEs 34, 36 to correspond to the functions of states andby selectively coupling together the SMEs 34, 36 to correspond to thetransitions between states in the FSM.

FIG. 2 illustrates an overall view of an example of a FSM lattice 30.The FSM lattice 30 includes a plurality of blocks 32 that can beselectively coupled together with programmable inter-block switchingelements 40. The inter-block switching elements 40 may includeconductors 46 (e.g., wires, traces, etc.) and buffers 48 and 50. In anexample, buffers 48 and 50 are included to control the connection andtiming of signals to/from the inter-block switching elements 40. Asdescribed further below, the buffers 48 may be provided to buffer databeing sent between blocks 32, while the buffers 50 may be provided tobuffer data being sent between inter-block switching elements 40.Additionally, the blocks 32 can be selectively coupled to an input block52 (e.g., a data input port) for receiving signals (e.g., data) andproviding the data to the blocks 32. The blocks 32 can also beselectively coupled to an output block 54 (e.g., an output port) forproviding signals from the blocks 32 to an external device (e.g.,another FSM lattice 30). The FSM lattice 30 can also include aprogramming interface 56 to load a program (e.g., an image) onto the FSMlattice 30. The image can program (e.g., set) the state of the SMEs 34,36. That is, the image can configure the SMEs 34, 36 to react in acertain way to a given input at the input block 52. For example, a SME34, 36 can be set to output a high signal when the character ‘a’ isreceived at the input block 52.

In an example, the input block 52, the output block 54, and/or theprogramming interface 56 can be implemented as registers such thatwriting to or reading from the registers provides data to or from therespective elements. Accordingly, bits from the image stored in theregisters corresponding to the programming interface 56 can be loaded onthe SMEs 34, 36. Although FIG. 2 illustrates a certain number ofconductors (e.g., wire, trace) between a block 32, input block 52,output block 54, and an inter-block switching element 40, it should beunderstood that in other examples, fewer or more conductors may be used.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a block 32. A block 32 can include aplurality of rows 38 that can be selectively coupled together withprogrammable intra-block switching elements 42. Additionally, a row 38can be selectively coupled to another row 38 within another block 32with the inter-block switching elements 40. A row 38 includes aplurality of SMEs 34, 36 organized into pairs of elements that arereferred to herein as groups of two (GOTs) 60. In an example, a block 32comprises sixteen (16) rows 38.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a row 38. A GOT 60 can be selectivelycoupled to other GOTs 60 and any other elements (e.g., a special purposeelement 58) within the row 38 by programmable intra-row switchingelements 44. A GOT 60 can also be coupled to other GOTs 60 in other rows38 with the intra-block switching element 42, or other GOTs 60 in otherblocks 32 with an inter-block switching element 40. In an example, a GOT60 has a first and second input 62, 64, and an output 66. The firstinput 62 is coupled to a first SME 34 of the GOT 60 and the second input62 is coupled to a second SME 34 of the GOT 60, as will be furtherillustrated with reference to FIG. 5.

In an example, the row 38 includes a first and second plurality of rowinterconnection conductors 68, 70. In an example, an input 62, 64 of aGOT 60 can be coupled to one or more row interconnection conductors 68,70, and an output 66 can be coupled to one row interconnection conductor68, 70. In an example, a first plurality of the row interconnectionconductors 68 can be coupled to each SME 34, 36 of each GOT 60 withinthe row 38. A second plurality of the row interconnection conductors 70can be coupled to only one SME 34, 36 of each GOT 60 within the row 38,but cannot be coupled to the other SME 34,36 of the GOT 60. In anexample, a first half of the second plurality of row interconnectionconductors 70 can couple to first half of the SMEs 34, 36 within a row38 (one SME 34 from each GOT 60) and a second half of the secondplurality of row interconnection conductors 70 can couple to a secondhalf of the SMEs 34,36 within a row 38 (the other SME 34,36 from eachGOT 60), as will be better illustrated with respect to FIG. 5. Thelimited connectivity between the second plurality of row interconnectionconductors 70 and the SMEs 34, 36 is referred to herein as “parity”. Inan example, the row 38 can also include a special purpose element 58such as a counter, a programmable Boolean logic element, look-up table,RAM, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable processor (e.g., amicroprocessor), or other element for performing a special purposefunction.

In an example, the special purpose element 58 comprises a counter (alsoreferred to herein as counter 58). In an example, the counter 58comprises a 12-bit programmable down counter. The 12-bit programmablecounter 58 has a counting input, a reset input, and zero-count output.The counting input, when asserted, decrements the value of the counter58 by one. The reset input, when asserted, causes the counter 58 to loadan initial value from an associated register. For the 12-bit counter 58,up to a 12-bit number can be loaded in as the initial value. When thevalue of the counter 58 is decremented to zero (0), the zero-countoutput is asserted. The counter 58 also has at least two modes, pulseand hold. When the counter 58 is set to pulse mode, the zero-countoutput is asserted during the clock cycle when the counter 58 decrementsto zero, and at the next clock cycle the zero-count output is no longerasserted. When the counter 58 is set to hold mode the zero-count outputis asserted during the clock cycle when the counter 58 decrements tozero, and stays asserted until the counter 58 is reset by the resetinput being asserted.

In another example, the special purpose element 58 comprises Booleanlogic. In some examples, this Boolean logic can be used to extractinformation from terminal state SMEs (corresponding to terminal nodes ofa FSM, as discussed later herein) in FSM lattice 30. The informationextracted can be used to transfer state information to other FSMlattices 30 and/or to transfer programming information used to reprogramFSM lattice 30, or to reprogram another FSM lattice 30.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a GOT 60. The GOT 60 includes a firstSME 34 and a second SME 36 having inputs 62, 64 and having their outputs72, 74 coupled to an OR gate 76 and a 3-to-1 multiplexer 78. The 3-to-1multiplexer 78 can be set to couple the output 66 of the GOT 60 toeither the first SME 34, the second SME 36, or the OR gate 76. The ORgate 76 can be used to couple together both outputs 72, 74 to form thecommon output 66 of the GOT 60. In an example, the first and second SME34, 36 exhibit parity, as discussed above, where the input 62 of thefirst SME 34 can be coupled to some of the row interconnect conductors68 and the input 64 of the second SME 36 can be coupled to other rowinterconnect conductors 70. In an example, the two SMEs 34, 36 within aGOT 60 can be cascaded and/or looped back to themselves by settingeither or both of switching elements 79. The SMEs 34, 36 can be cascadedby coupling the output 72, 74 of the SMEs 34, 36 to the input 62, 64 ofthe other SME 34, 36. The SMEs 34, 36 can be looped back to themselvesby coupling the output 72, 74 to their own input 62, 64. Accordingly,the output 72 of the first SME 34 can be coupled to neither, one, orboth of the input 62 of the first SME 34 and the input 64 of the secondSME 36.

In an example, a state machine element 34, 36 comprises a plurality ofmemory cells 80, such as those often used in dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), coupled in parallel to a detect line 82. One such memorycell 80 comprises a memory cell that can be set to a data state, such asone that corresponds to either a high or a low value (e.g., a 1 or 0).The output of the memory cell 80 is coupled to the detect line 82 andthe input to the memory cell 80 receives signals based on data on thedata stream line 84. In an example, an input on the data stream line 84is decoded to select one of the memory cells 80. The selected memorycell 80 provides its stored data state as an output onto the detect line82. For example, the data received at the input block 52 can be providedto a decoder (not shown) and the decoder can select one of the datastream lines 84. In an example, the decoder can convert an 8-bit ACSIIcharacter to the corresponding 1 of 256 data stream lines 84.

A memory cell 80, therefore, outputs a high signal to the detect line 82when the memory cell 80 is set to a high value and the data on the datastream line 84 corresponds to the memory cell 80. When the data on thedata stream line 84 corresponds to the memory cell 80 and the memorycell 80 is set to a low value, the memory cell 80 outputs a low signalto the detect line 82. The outputs from the memory cells 80 on thedetect line 82 are sensed by a detection cell 86.

In an example, the signal on an input line 62, 64 sets the respectivedetection cell 86 to either an active or inactive state. When set to theinactive state, the detection cell 86 outputs a low signal on therespective output 72, 74 regardless of the signal on the respectivedetect line 82. When set to an active state, the detection cell 86outputs a high signal on the respective output line 72, 74 when a highsignal is detected from one of the memory cells 82 of the respective SME34, 36. When in the active state, the detection cell 86 outputs a lowsignal on the respective output line 72, 74 when the signals from all ofthe memory cells 82 of the respective SME 34, 36 are low.

In an example, an SME 34, 36 includes 256 memory cells 80 and eachmemory cell 80 is coupled to a different data stream line 84. Thus, anSME 34, 36 can be programmed to output a high signal when a selected oneor more of the data stream lines 84 have a high signal thereon. Forexample, the SME 34 can have a first memory cell 80 (e.g., bit 0) sethigh and all other memory cells 80 (e.g., bits 1-255) set low. When therespective detection cell 86 is in the active state, the SME 34 outputsa high signal on the output 72 when the data stream line 84corresponding to bit 0 has a high signal thereon. In other examples, theSME 34 can be set to output a high signal when one of multiple datastream lines 84 have a high signal thereon by setting the appropriatememory cells 80 to a high value.

In an example, a memory cell 80 can be set to a high or low value byreading bits from an associated register. Accordingly, the SMEs 34 canbe programmed by storing an image created by the compiler 20 into theregisters and loading the bits in the registers into associated memorycells 80. In an example, the image created by the compiler 20 includes abinary image of high and low (e.g., 1 and 0) bits. The image can programthe FSM lattice 30 to operate as a FSM by cascading the SMEs 34, 36. Forexample, a first SME 34 can be set to an active state by setting thedetection cell 86 to the active state. The first SME 34 can be set tooutput a high signal when the data stream line 84 corresponding to bit 0has a high signal thereon. The second SME 36 can be initially set to aninactive state, but can be set to, when active, output a high signalwhen the data stream line 84 corresponding to bit 1 has a high signalthereon. The first SME 34 and the second SME 36 can be cascaded bysetting the output 72 of the first SME 34 to couple to the input 64 ofthe second SME 36. Thus, when a high signal is sensed on the data streamline 84 corresponding to bit 0, the first SME 34 outputs a high signalon the output 72 and sets the detection cell 86 of the second SME 36 toan active state. When a high signal is sensed on the data stream line 84corresponding to bit 1, the second SME 36 outputs a high signal on theoutput 74 to activate another SME 36 or for output from the FSM lattice30.

In an example, a single FSM lattice 30 is implemented on a singlephysical device, however, in other examples two or more FSM lattices 30can be implemented on a single physical device (e.g., physical chip). Inan example, each FSM lattice 30 can include a distinct data input block52, a distinct output block 54, a distinct programming interface 56, anda distinct set of programmable elements. Moreover, each set ofprogrammable elements can react (e.g., output a high or low signal) todata at their corresponding data input block 52. For example, a firstset of programmable elements corresponding to a first FSM lattice 30 canreact to the data at a first data input block 52 corresponding to thefirst FSM lattice 30. A second set of programmable elementscorresponding to a second FSM lattice 30 can react to a second datainput block 52 corresponding to the second FSM lattice 30. Accordingly,each FSM lattice 30 includes a set of programmable elements, whereindifferent sets of programmable elements can react to different inputdata. Similarly, each FSM lattice 30, and each corresponding set ofprogrammable elements can provide a distinct output. In some examples,an output block 54 from a first FSM lattice 30 can be coupled to aninput block 52 of a second FSM lattice 30, such that input data for thesecond FSM lattice 30 can include the output data from the first FSMlattice 30 in a hierarchical arrangement of a series of FSM lattices 30.

In an example, an image for loading onto the FSM lattice 30 comprises aplurality of bits of information for configuring the programmableelements, the programmable switching elements, and the special purposeelements within the FSM lattice 30. In an example, the image can beloaded onto the FSM lattice 30 to program the FSM lattice 30 to providea desired output based on certain inputs. The output block 54 canprovide outputs from the FSM lattice 30 based on the reaction of theprogrammable elements to data at the data input block 52. An output fromthe output block 54 can include a single bit indicating a match of agiven pattern, a word comprising a plurality of bits indicating matchesand non-matches to a plurality of patterns, and a state vectorcorresponding to the state of all or certain programmable elements at agiven moment. As described, a number of FSM lattices 30 may be includedin a state machine engine, such as state machine engine 14, to performdata analysis, such as pattern-recognition (e.g., speech recognition,image recognition, etc.) signal processing, imaging, computer vision,cryptography, and others.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example model of a finite state machine (FSM) thatcan be implemented by the FSM lattice 30. The FSM lattice 30 can beconfigured (e.g., programmed) as a physical implementation of a FSM. AFSM can be represented as a diagram 90, (e.g., directed graph,undirected graph, pseudograph), which contains one or more root nodes92. In addition to the root nodes 92, the FSM can be made up of severalstandard nodes 94 and terminal nodes 96 that are connected to the rootnodes 92 and other standard nodes 94 through one or more edges 98. Anode 92, 94, 96 corresponds to a state in the FSM. The edges 98correspond to the transitions between the states.

Each of the nodes 92, 94, 96 can be in either an active or an inactivestate. When in the inactive state, a node 92, 94, 96 does not react(e.g., respond) to input data. When in an active state, a node 92, 94,96 can react to input data. An upstream node 92, 94 can react to theinput data by activating a node 94, 96 that is downstream from the nodewhen the input data matches criteria specified by an edge 98 between theupstream node 92, 94 and the downstream node 94, 96. For example, afirst node 94 that specifies the character ‘b’ will activate a secondnode 94 connected to the first node 94 by an edge 98 when the first node94 is active and the character ‘b’ is received as input data. As usedherein, “upstream” refers to a relationship between one or more nodes,where a first node that is upstream of one or more other nodes (orupstream of itself in the case of a loop or feedback configuration)refers to the situation in which the first node can activate the one ormore other nodes (or can activate itself in the case of a loop).Similarly, “downstream” refers to a relationship where a first node thatis downstream of one or more other nodes (or downstream of itself in thecase of a loop) can be activated by the one or more other nodes (or canbe activated by itself in the case of a loop). Accordingly, the terms“upstream” and “downstream” are used herein to refer to relationshipsbetween one or more nodes, but these terms do not preclude the use ofloops or other non-linear paths among the nodes.

In the diagram 90, the root node 92 can be initially activated and canactivate downstream nodes 94 when the input data matches an edge 98 fromthe root node 92. Nodes 94 can activate nodes 96 when the input datamatches an edge 98 from the node 94. Nodes 94, 96 throughout the diagram90 can be activated in this manner as the input data is received. Aterminal node 96 corresponds to a match of a sequence of interest by theinput data. Accordingly, activation of a terminal node 96 indicates thata sequence of interest has been received as the input data. In thecontext of the FSM lattice 30 implementing a pattern recognitionfunction, arriving at a terminal node 96 can indicate that a specificpattern of interest has been detected in the input data.

In an example, each root node 92, standard node 94, and terminal node 96can correspond to a programmable element in the FSM lattice 30. Eachedge 98 can correspond to connections between the programmable elements.Thus, a standard node 94 that transitions to (e.g., has an edge 98connecting to) another standard node 94 or a terminal node 96corresponds to a programmable element that transitions to (e.g.,provides an output to) another programmable element. In some examples,the root node 92 does not have a corresponding programmable element.

When the FSM lattice 30 is programmed, each of the programmable elementscan also be in either an active or inactive state. A given programmableelement, when inactive, does not react to the input data at acorresponding data input block 52. An active programmable element canreact to the input data at the data input block 52, and can activate adownstream programmable element when the input data matches the settingof the programmable element. When a programmable element corresponds toa terminal node 96, the programmable element can be coupled to theoutput block 54 to provide an indication of a match to an externaldevice.

An image loaded onto the FSM lattice 30 via the programming interface 56can configure the programmable elements and special purpose elements, aswell as the connections between the programmable elements and specialpurpose elements, such that a desired FSM is implemented through thesequential activation of nodes based on reactions to the data at thedata input block 52. In an example, a programmable element remainsactive for a single data cycle (e.g., a single character, a set ofcharacters, a single clock cycle) and then becomes inactive unlessre-activated by an upstream programmable element.

A terminal node 96 can be considered to store a compressed history ofpast events. For example, the one or more patterns of input datarequired to reach a terminal node 96 can be represented by theactivation of that terminal node 96. In an example, the output providedby a terminal node 96 is binary, that is, the output indicates whetherthe pattern of interest has been matched or not. The ratio of terminalnodes 96 to standard nodes 94 in a diagram 90 may be quite small. Inother words, although there may be a high complexity in the FSM, theoutput of the FSM may be small by comparison.

In an example, the output of the FSM lattice 30 can comprise a statevector. The state vector comprises the state (e.g., activated or notactivated) of programmable elements of the FSM lattice 30. In anexample, the state vector includes the states for the programmableelements corresponding to terminal nodes 96. Thus, the output caninclude a collection of the indications provided by all terminal nodes96 of a diagram 90. The state vector can be represented as a word, wherethe binary indication provided by each terminal node 96 comprises onebit of the word. This encoding of the terminal nodes 96 can provide aneffective indication of the detection state (e.g., whether and whatsequences of interest have been detected) for the FSM lattice 30. Inanother example, the state vector can include the state of all or asubset of the programmable elements whether or not the programmableelements corresponds to a terminal node 96.

As mentioned above, the FSM lattice 30 can be programmed to implement apattern recognition function. For example, the FSM lattice 30 can beconfigured to recognize one or more data sequences (e.g., signatures,patterns) in the input data. When a data sequence of interest isrecognized by the FSM lattice 30, an indication of that recognition canbe provided at the output block 54. In an example, the patternrecognition can recognize a string of symbols (e.g., ASCII characters)to; for example, identify malware or other information in network data.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of hierarchical structure 100, wherein twolevels of FSM lattices 30 are coupled in series and used to analyzedata. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the hierarchicalstructure 100 includes a first FSM lattice 30A and a second FSM lattice30B arranged in series. Each FSM lattice 30 includes a respective datainput block 52 to receive data input, a programming interface block 56to receive programming signals and an output block 54.

The first FSM lattice 30A is configured to receive input data, forexample, raw data at a data input block. The first FSM lattice 30Areacts to the input data as described above and provides an output at anoutput block. The output from the first FSM lattice 30A is sent to adata input block of the second FSM lattice 30B. The second FSM lattice30B can then react based on the output provided by the first FSM lattice30A and provide a corresponding output signal 102 of the hierarchicalstructure 100. This hierarchical coupling of two FSM lattices 30A and30B in series provides a means to transfer information regarding pastevents in a compressed word from a first FSM lattice 30A to a second FSMlattice 30B. The information transferred can effectively be a summary ofcomplex events (e.g., sequences of interest) that were recorded by thefirst FSM lattice 30A.

The two-level hierarchy 100 of FSM lattices 30A, 30B shown in FIG. 7allows two independent programs to operate based on the same datastream. The two-stage hierarchy can be similar to visual recognition ina biological brain which is modeled as different regions. Under thismodel, the regions are effectively different pattern recognitionengines, each performing a similar computational function (patternmatching) but using different programs (signatures). By connectingmultiple FSM lattices 30A, 30B together, increased knowledge about thedata stream input may be obtained.

The first level of the hierarchy (implemented by the first FSM lattice30A) can, for example, perform processing directly on a raw data stream.That is, a raw data stream can be received at an input block 52 of thefirst FSM lattice 30A and the programmable elements of the first FSMlattice 30A can react to the raw data stream. The second level(implemented by the second FSM lattice 30B) of the hierarchy can processthe output from the first level. That is, the second FSM lattice 30Breceives the output from an output block 54 of the first FSM lattice 30Aat an input block 52 of the second FSM lattice 30B and the programmableelements of the second FSM lattice 30B can react to the output of thefirst FSM lattice 30A. Accordingly, in this example, the second FSMlattice 30B does not receive the raw data stream as an input, but ratherreceives the indications of patterns of interest that are matched by theraw data stream as determined by the first FSM lattice 30A. The secondFSM lattice 30B can implement a FSM that recognizes patterns in theoutput data stream from the first FSM lattice 30A.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a method 110 for a compiler to convertsource code into an image configured to program a FSM lattice, such aslattice 30, to implement a FSM. Method 110 includes parsing the sourcecode into a syntax tree (block 112), converting the syntax tree into anautomaton (block 114), optimizing the automaton (block 116), convertingthe automaton into a netlist (block 118), placing the netlist onhardware (block 120), routing the netlist (block 122), and publishingthe resulting image (block 124).

In an example, the compiler 20 includes an application programminginterface (API) that allows software developers to create images forimplementing FSMs on the FSM lattice 30. The compiler 20 providesmethods to convert an input set of regular expressions in the sourcecode into an image that is configured to program the FSM lattice 30. Thecompiler 20 can be implemented by instructions for a computer having avon Neumann architecture. These instructions can cause a processor 12 onthe computer to implement the functions of the compiler 20. For example,the instructions, when executed by the processor 12, can cause theprocessor 12 to perform actions as described in blocks 112, 114, 116,118, 120, 122, and 124 on source code that is accessible to theprocessor 12.

In an example, the source code describes search strings for identifyingpatterns of symbols within a group of symbols. To describe the searchstrings, the source code can include a plurality of regular expressions(regexs). A regex can be a string for describing a symbol searchpattern. Regexes are widely used in various computer domains, such asprogramming languages, text editors, network security, and others. In anexample, the regular expressions supported by the compiler includecriteria for the analysis of unstructured data. Unstructured data caninclude data that is free form and has no indexing applied to wordswithin the data. Words can include any combination of bytes, printableand non-printable, within the data. In an example, the compiler cansupport multiple different source code languages for implementingregexes including Perl, (e.g., Perl compatible regular expressions(PCRE)), PHP, Java, and .NET languages.

At block 112 the compiler 20 can parse the source code to form anarrangement of relationally connected operators, where different typesof operators correspond to different functions implemented by the sourcecode (e.g., different functions implemented by regexes in the sourcecode). Parsing source code can create a generic representation of thesource code. In an example, the generic representation comprises anencoded representation of the regexs in the source code in the form of atree graph known as a syntax tree. The examples described herein referto the arrangement as a syntax tree (also known as an “abstract syntaxtree”) in other examples, however, a concrete syntax tree or otherarrangement can be used.

Since, as mentioned above, the compiler 20 can support multiplelanguages of source code, parsing converts the source code, regardlessof the language, into a non-language specific representation, e.g., asyntax tree. Thus, further processing (blocks 114, 116, 118, 120) by thecompiler 20 can work from a common input structure regardless of thelanguage of the source code.

As noted above, the syntax tree includes a plurality of operators thatare relationally connected. A syntax tree can include multiple differenttypes of operators. That is, different operators can correspond todifferent functions implemented by the regexes in the source code.

At block 114, the syntax tree is converted into an automaton. Anautomaton comprises a software model of a FSM and can accordingly beclassified as deterministic or non-deterministic. A deterministicautomaton has a single path of execution at a given time, while anon-deterministic automaton has multiple concurrent paths of execution.The automaton comprises a plurality of states. In order to convert thesyntax tree into an automaton, the operators and relationships betweenthe operators in the syntax tree are converted into states withtransitions between the states. In an example, the automaton can beconverted based partly on the hardware of the FSM lattice 30.

In an example, input symbols for the automaton include the symbols ofthe alphabet, the numerals 0-9, and other printable characters. In anexample, the input symbols are represented by the byte values 0 through255 inclusive. In an example, an automaton can be represented as adirected graph where the nodes of the graph correspond to the set ofstates. In an example, a transition from state p to state q on an inputsymbol α, i.e. δ(p,α), is shown by a directed connection from node p tonode q. In an example, a reversal of an automaton produces a newautomaton where each transition p→q on some symbol α is reversed q→p onthe same symbol. In a reversal, start state becomes a final state andthe final states become start states. In an example, the languagerecognized (e.g., matched) by an automaton is the set of all possiblecharacter strings which when input sequentially into the automaton willreach a final state. Each string in the language recognized by theautomaton traces a path from the start state to one or more finalstates.

At block 116, after the automaton is constructed, the automaton isoptimized to, among other things, reduce its complexity and size. Theautomaton can be optimized by combining redundant states.

At block 118, the optimized automaton is converted into a netlist.Converting the automaton into a netlist maps each state of the automatonto a hardware element (e.g., SMEs 34, 36, other elements) on the FSMlattice 30, and determines the connections between the hardwareelements.

At block 120, the netlist is placed to select a specific hardwareelement of the target device (e.g., SMEs 34, 36, special purposeelements 58) corresponding to each node of the netlist. In an example,placing selects each specific hardware element based on general inputand output constraints for of the FSM lattice 30.

At block 122, the placed netlist is routed to determine the settings forthe programmable switching elements (e.g., inter-block switchingelements 40, intra-block switching elements 42, and intra-row switchingelements 44) in order to couple the selected hardware elements togetherto achieve the connections describe by the netlist. In an example, thesettings for the programmable switching elements are determined bydetermining specific conductors of the FSM lattice 30 that will be usedto connect the selected hardware elements, and the settings for theprogrammable switching elements. Routing can take into account morespecific limitations of the connections between the hardware elementsthat placement at block 120. Accordingly, routing may adjust thelocation of some of the hardware elements as determined by the globalplacement in order to make appropriate connections given the actuallimitations of the conductors on the FSM lattice 30.

Once the netlist is placed and routed, the placed and routed netlist canbe converted into a plurality of bits for programming of a FSM lattice30. The plurality of bits are referred to herein as an image.

At block 124, an image is published by the compiler 20. The imagecomprises a plurality of bits for programming specific hardware elementsof the FSM lattice 30. In embodiments where the image comprises aplurality of bits (e.g., 0 and 1), the image can be referred to as abinary image. The bits can be loaded onto the FSM lattice 30 to programthe state of SMEs 34, 36, the special purpose elements 58, and theprogrammable switching elements such that the programmed FSM lattice 30implements a FSM having the functionality described by the source code.Placement (block 120) and routing (block 122) can map specific hardwareelements at specific locations in the FSM lattice 30 to specific statesin the automaton. Accordingly, the bits in the image can program thespecific hardware elements to implement the desired function(s). In anexample, the image can be published by saving the machine code to acomputer readable medium. In another example, the image can be publishedby displaying the image on a display device. In still another example,the image can be published by sending the image to another device, suchas a programming device for loading the image onto the FSM lattice 30.In yet another example, the image can be published by loading the imageonto a FSM lattice (e.g., the FSM lattice 30).

In an example, an image can be loaded onto the FSM lattice 30 by eitherdirectly loading the bit values from the image to the SMEs 34, 36 andother hardware elements or by loading the image into one or moreregisters and then writing the bit values from the registers to the SMEs34, 36 and other hardware elements. In an example, the hardware elements(e.g., SMEs 34, 36, special purpose elements 58, programmable switchingelements 40, 42, 44) of the FSM lattice 30 are memory mapped such that aprogramming device and/or computer can load the image onto the FSMlattice 30 by writing the image to one or more memory addresses.

Method examples described herein can be machine or computer-implementedat least in part. Some examples can include a computer-readable mediumor machine-readable medium encoded with instructions operable toconfigure an electronic device to perform methods as described in theabove examples. An implementation of such methods can include code, suchas microcode, assembly language code, a higher-level language code, orthe like. Such code can include computer readable instructions forperforming various methods. The code may form portions of computerprogram products. Further, the code may be tangibly stored on one ormore volatile or non-volatile computer-readable media during executionor at other times. These computer-readable media may include, but arenot limited to, hard disks, removable magnetic disks, removable opticaldisks (e.g., compact disks and digital video disks), magnetic cassettes,memory cards or sticks, random access memories (RAMs), read onlymemories (ROMs), and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an embodiment of the state machine engine 14 isillustrated. As previously described, the state machine engine 14 isconfigured to receive data from a source, such as the memory 16 over adata bus. In the illustrated embodiment, data may be sent to the statemachine engine 14 through a bus interface, such as a DDR3 bus interface130. The DDR3 bus interface 130 may be capable of exchanging data at arate greater than or equal to 1 GByte/sec. As will be appreciated,depending on the source of the data to be analyzed, the bus interface130 may be any suitable bus interface for exchanging data to and from adata source to the state machine engine 14, such as a NAND Flashinterface, PCI interface, etc. As previously described, the statemachine engine 14 includes one or more FSM lattices 30 configured toanalyze data. Each FSM lattice 30 may be divided into two half-lattices.In the illustrated embodiment, each half lattice may include 24K SMEs(e.g., SMEs 34, 36), such that the lattice 30 includes 48K SMEs. Thelattice 30 may comprise any desirable number of SMEs, arranged aspreviously described with regard to FIGS. 2-5. Further, while only oneFSM lattice 30 is illustrated, the state machine engine 14 may includemultiple FSM lattices 30, as previously described.

Data to be analyzed may be received at the bus interface 130 andtransmitted to the FSM lattice 30 through a number of buffers and bufferinterfaces. In the illustrated embodiment, the data path includes databuffers 132, process buffers 134 and an inter-rank (IR) bus and processbuffer interface 136. The data buffers 132 are configured to receive andtemporarily store data to be analyzed. In one embodiment, there are twodata buffers 132 (data buffer A and data buffer B). Data may be storedin one of the two data buffers 132, while data is being emptied from theother data buffer 132, for analysis by the FSM lattice 30. In theillustrated embodiment, the data buffers 132 may be 32 KBytes each. TheIR bus and process buffer interface 136 may facilitate the transfer ofdata to the process buffer 134. The IR bus and process buffer 136ensures that data is processed by the FSM lattice 30 in order. The IRbus and process buffer 136 may coordinate the exchange of data, timinginformation, packing instructions, etc. such that data is received andanalyzed in the correct order. Generally, the IR bus and process buffer136 allows the analyzing of multiple data sets in parallel throughlogical ranks of FSM lattices 30.

In the illustrated embodiment, the state machine engine 14 also includesa de-compressor 138 and a compressor 140 to aid in the transfer of thelarge amounts of data through the state machine engine 14. Thecompressor 140 and de-compressor 138 work in conjunction such that datacan be compressed to minimize the data transfer times. By compressingthe data to be analyzed, the bus utilization time may be minimized.Based on information provided by the compiler 20, a mask may be providedto the state machine engine 14 to provide information on which statemachines are likely to be unused. The compressor 140 and de-compressor138 can also be configured to handle data of varying burst lengths. Bypadding compressed data and including an indicator as to when eachcompressed region ends, the compressor 140 may improve the overallprocessing speed through the state machine engine 14. The compressor 140and de-compressor 138 may also be used to compress and decompress matchresults data after analysis by the FSM lattice 30.

As previously described, the output of the FSM lattice 30 can comprise astate vector. The state vector comprises the state (e.g., activated ornot activated) of programmable elements of the FSM lattice 30. Eachstate vector may be temporarily stored in the state vector cache memory142 for further hierarchical processing and analysis. That is, the stateof each state machine may be stored, such that the final state may beused in further analysis, while freeing the state machines forreprogramming and/or further analysis of a new data set. Like a typicalcache, the state vector cache memory allows storage of information, herestate vectors, for quick retrieval and use, here by the FSM lattice 30,for instance. Additional buffers, such as the state vector memorybuffer, state vector intermediate input buffer 146 and state vectorintermediate output buffer 148, may be utilized in conjunction with thestate vector cache memory 142 to accommodate rapid analysis and storageof state vectors, while adhering to packet transmission protocol throughthe state machine engine 14.

Once a result of interest is produced by the FSM lattice 30, matchresults may be stored in a match results memory 150. That is, a “matchvector” indicating a match (e.g., detection of a pattern of interest)may be stored in the match results memory 150. The match result can thenbe sent to a match buffer 152 for transmission over the bus interface130 to the processor 12, for example. As previously described, the matchresults may be compressed.

Additional registers and buffers may be provided in the state machineengine 14, as well. For instance, the state machine engine 14 mayinclude control and status registers 154. In addition, restore andprogram buffers 156 may be provided for using in programming the FSMlattice 30 initially, or restoring the state of the machines in the FSMlattice 30 during analysis. Similarly, save and repair map buffers 158may also be provided for storage of save and repair maps for setup andusage.

FIG. 10 illustrates a second example of a row 38 similar to thatdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 4. The row 38 may includeprogrammable intra-row switching elements 44 and rowinterconnection/interconnect conductors 68, 70 (which can also bereferred to as “row routing lines”, as described below).

Row 38 of FIG. 10 may include eight GOTS 60, a special purpose element58, inputs 62, inputs 64, outputs 66, a match element 160, a pluralityof row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178, 180,182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 (collectively referred to hereafter as“row routing lines 162-192”), a special purpose element routing line194, and a plurality of junction points 196.

Furthermore, in addition to being coupled to the illustrated SMEs 34, 36in FIG. 11, the local routing matrix 172 may be coupled to all pairs ofSMEs 34, 36 for the GOTs 60 in a particular row 38. Accordingly, thelocal routing matrix 172 may include programmable intra-row switchingelements 44 and row interconnection/interconnect conductors 68, 70(which can also be referred to as “row routing lines”, as describedbelow).

The GOTS 60 and the special purpose element 58 illustrated in FIG. 10are substantially similar to the GOTS 60 and the special purpose element58 previously discussed with respect to FIG. 4. Accordingly, each GOT 60receives an input 62, which may be a unified enable input, to operate asan enable signal for a detection cell 86 of a SME 34. Likewise, each GOT60 also receives an input 64, which may also be a unified enable input,to operate as an enable signal for a detection cell 86 of a SME 36.These unified enable inputs 62, 64 may activate the detection cells 86of the SMEs 34, 36 to output a respective result of an analysisperformed by the respective SME, for example, a match in an analyzeddata stream from a single SME 34, which may be utilized in conjunctionwith results from other SMEs 34, 36 to, for example, search for apattern in a data stream. For example, unified enable input 62 andunified enable input 64 allow for selective activation of the SMEs 34,36 so that results generated by each of the active SMEs 34, 36 may beutilized as part of an overall broader analysis of a data stream.

The result generated by an SME 34, 36 of a GOT 60 may be selectivelyprovided from the GOT on output 66. In one embodiment, the possibleoutputs of the GOT 60 may include no output, an output of the first SME34, i.e., output 72, an output of the second SME 36, i.e., output 74, orthe output of the first SME 34 or the output of the second SME 36, i.e.,output 72 or output 74. Thus, a GOT 60 may be programmed to output aselected result from a GOT 60. This programming may be accomplished, forexample, based on a loaded image performed during an initial programmingstage of the FSM lattice 30. Results from the GOTs 60 may be provided toa match element 160, which may operate to output a selected resultgenerated from the row 38 for a given data stream search or a portion ofa data stream search.

Additionally, row 38 may include row routing lines 162-192 (which mayalso be referred to as row interconnection/interconnect conductors). Inthe present embodiment, there are sixteen row lines 162-192 that areselectively coupleable to eight GOTS 60 and to the special purposeelement 58. However, it should be appreciated that fewer or more rowrouting lines may be utilized in conjunction with the row 38.

Each of the row routing lines 162-192 may be utilized to provide enablesignals for any of the SMEs 34, 36 of one or more GOTS 60 along inputs62, 64. Accordingly, through use of these row routing lines 162-192, anyparticular detection cell 86 for any particular SME (e.g., SME 34) maybe activated. This may be accomplished by selectively coupling (e.g., inaccordance with a loaded image) the row routing lines 162-192 to unifiedenable inputs 62, 64 of the SMEs 34, 36. Moreover, to provide furtherflexibility in providing enable signals to the SMEs 34, 36, the rowrouting lines 162-192 may be divided up amongst two SMEs 34, 36 of agiven GOT 60. For example, row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170,172, 174, and 176, may be utilized to activate any of the SMEs 34, 36 inthe row 38. For example, a GOT 60 may transmit an output 66 to the rowrouting line coupled thereto, for example, row routing line 162. Thissignal may be transmitted into the intra-block switch, where it may berouted, for example, on row routing line 164 to an additional GOT 60 inthe row 38. Additionally, row routing lines 178, 182, 186, and 190 mayactivate SMEs 34 in row 38, for example, by receiving signals fromintra-block switch 42, while row routing lines 180, 184, 188, and 192may activate SMEs 36 in row 38 via, for example, signals received fromthe intra-block witch 42. In this manner, the overall number of rowrouting lines 162-192 may be reduced, while still allowing for overallflexibility and the ability to activate any detection cell 86 of any ofthe SMEs 34, 36 in a row 38.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, each of the row routing lines 162-192includes a plurality of junction points 196. These junction points 196may, for example, include the intra-row switching elements 44 of FIG. 3,since the junction points 196 may be utilized to selectively couple anyGOT 60 to any other GOT 60, or any GOT 60 to any other element (e.g., aspecial purpose element 58) within the row 38 (or, for that matter,within another row and/or another block). However, these connections maybe limited by available junction points 196. For example, each of rowrouting lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, and 176, may beutilized to activate any of the SMEs 34, 36 in the row 38. However, eachof row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, and 176 also areselectively coupleable to the output of a respective different one ofthe GOTs 60. For example, an output from any one of the GOTs 60 may onlybe provided from that GOT 60 on a respective one of the row routinglines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, and 176 coupleable thereto.Thus, in one embodiment, because row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168,170, 172, 174, and 176 are coupleable to the outputs 66 of the GOTs 60,the row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, and 176 mayprovide (e.g., drive-out) signals to the intra-block switch 42. Incontrast, in one embodiment, row routing lines 178, 180, 182, 184, 186,188, 190, and 192 may receive (e.g. be driven by) signals from theintra-block switch 42 that may be received from, for example, other rows38 or blocks 32.

In addition to row routing lines 162-192, the row 38 may include aspecial purpose element routing line 194 coupled to a special purposeelement 58. Similar to row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172,174, and 176, the special purpose routing line 194 may provide (e.g.,drive-out) signals to the intra-block switch 42. In one embodiment, thespecial purpose element routing line 194 may also be coupleable to thematch element 160. For example, if the special purpose element 58comprises a counter, an output of the counter may be provided along thespecial purpose routing line 194. Similarly, if the special purposeelement 58 includes a Boolean logic element, such as a Boolean cell, anoutput of the Boolean logic element may be provided along the specialpurpose routing line 194. Through the use of these special purposeelements, repetitive searches (e.g., find an element ten times) orcascaded searches (e.g., find elements x, y, and z) may be simplifiedinto a single output that can be provided along the special purposerouting line 194 to either or both of the intra-block switch 42 and thematch element 160.

A more detailed illustration of the intra-block switch 42 and itsoperation is presented in FIG. 11. As illustrated, the intra-blockswitch 42 may receive the row routing lines 162-192 as well as thespecial purpose element routing line 194, and these lines may intersectvarious block routing lines 198, 200, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214,216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228 (collectively referred tohereafter as “block routing lines 198-228”) at a plurality of junctionpoints 230. These junction points 230 may, for example, may be utilizedto selectively couple row routing lines 162-192 to block routing lines198-228. In one embodiment, each of row routing lines 162, 164, 166,168, 170, 172, 174, and 176 may provide (e.g., drive-out, send,transmit, transfer, pass, etc.) signals to the intra-block switch 42,while row routing lines 178, 180, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 mayreceive (e.g., drive-in) signals from the intra-block switch 42.Accordingly, row routing lines 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, and176 may be utilized to provide signals from the row 38 coupled to theintra-block switch 42 in FIG. 10 to adjacent rows 38, such as thoseillustrated in FIG. 3. Additionally or alternatively, row routing lines162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, and 176 may be utilized to providesignals from the row 38 coupled to the intra-block switch 42 in FIG. 10to other rows 38 in the block 32 and/or to the block routing buffer 48.This may be accomplished by providing the signals generated in a givenrow 38 to one of the block routing lines 198-228 coupled thereto, sincethe block routing lines 198-228 are coupled to the various intra-blockswitches 42 and the block routing buffer 48 of FIG. 3. This may allowrow 38 to provide any results generated therein to adjacent rows 38 oreven other blocks 32.

Conversely, in one embodiment, each of the row routing lines 178, 180,182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 may receive (e.g., drive-in) signalsfrom the intra-block switch 42. Accordingly, row routing lines 178, 180,182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and 192 may be utilized to provide signals tothe row 38 coupled to the intra-block switch 42 in FIG. 10 from adjacentrows 38, such as those illustrated in FIG. 3. Additionally oralternatively, row routing lines 178, 180, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, and192 may be utilized to provide signals from the row 38 coupled to theintra-block switch 42 in FIG. 10 from the block routing buffer 48. Thismay be accomplished by receiving signals generated in external blocks 32or in adjacent rows 38 from one of the block routing lines 198-228 ofFIG. 11, since the block routing lines 198-228 are coupled to thevarious intra-block switches 42 and the block routing buffer 48 of FIG.3. This may allow row 38 to receive any results generated in adjacentrows 38 or even other blocks 32 along row routing lines 178, 180, 182,184, 186, 188, 190, and 192. In this manner, the intra-block switch 42may couple row 38 with adjacent rows 38 and other blocks 32.

As discussed above, results from any particular row 38 may be passedfrom one block 32 to another block 32. The block routing buffer 48 mayfacilitate this transfer of information between blocks. FIG. 12illustrates one embodiment of the block routing buffer 48.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, block routing buffer 48 may include blockrouting ports 232, 234 as well as junction routing ports 236, 238. Asillustrated, block routing port 232 may be coupled to a bi-directionalpath 240 so that signals may be provided to and received from a block 32at block routing port 232. Additionally, block routing port 234 may becoupled to an output path 242, such that block routing port 234 mayprovide signals to a block 32. Thus, the block routing buffer 48 mayprovide one or two signals to a given block at a time (i.e.,simultaneously) by utilizing either one or both of the block routingports 232, 234.

Junction routing ports 236, 238 of block routing buffer 48 may alsoallow for one or two signals to be provided at the same time (i.e.,simultaneously). As illustrated, junction routing port 236 may becoupled to a bi-directional path 244 so that signals may be provided toand received from conductors 46 (e.g., wires, traces, etc.) in aninter-block switching element 40. Additionally, junction routing port238 may be coupled to an output path 246, such that junction routingport 238 may provide signals to conductors 46 of an inter-blockswitching element 40. Thus, the block routing buffer 48 may provide oneor two signals to a given set of conductors 46 at a time (i.e.,simultaneously) by utilizing either one or both of the junction routingports 236, 238. As may be appreciated, the signals provided toconductors 46 of an inter-block switching element 40 may be coupled toanother block routing buffer 48 so that signals may be provided from afirst block 32, through a first block routing buffer 48, across theconductors 46, to an adjacent block routing buffer 48, and to anadjacent block 32, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

To accomplish this routing, the block routing buffer 48 may include abi-directional drive element 248 and two uni-directional drive elements250, 252. As illustrated, the bi-directional drive element 248 mayprovide and receive signals along the bi-directional paths 240 and 244,while the uni-directional drive elements 250, 252 provide signals alongoutput paths 242, 246, respectively.

Moreover, at any given time, the block routing buffer 48 may befunctioning to receive signals, or provide one or more signals.Accordingly, block routing buffer 48 includes control inputs 254, 256,258, and 260. Control inputs 254, 256, 258, and 260 may allow for theblock routing buffer 48 to be programmably set to provide one or moresignals or receive signals. For example, control input 254 may receiveand provide a control signal to the bi-directional drive element 248 toactivate the bi-directional drive element 248 to receive a signal fromjunction routing port 236 and provide the received signal from blockrouting port 232 to a block 32. Similarly, control input 256 may receiveand provide a control signal to the bi-directional drive element 248 toactivate the bi-directional drive element 248 to receive a signal fromblock routing port 232 and provide the signal to an inter-blockswitching element 40 via junction routing port 236.

Additionally, control input 258 may receive and provide a control signalto the uni-directional drive element 250 to activate the uni-directionaldrive element 250 to receive a signal from junction routing port 236 andprovide the received signal from block routing port 234 to a block 32.Similarly, control input 260 may receive and provide a control signal tothe uni-directional drive element 252 to activate the uni-directionaldrive element 252 to receive a signal from block routing port 234 andprovide the signal to an inter-block switching element 40 via junctionrouting port 238. Accordingly, the control inputs 254, 256, 258, and 260may allow the block routing buffer 48 to simultaneously provide signalsto a block 32 or to inter-block switching element 40, thus at leastdoubling the overall speed of providing signals through the blockrouting buffer 48.

Signals provided to the conductors 46 of the inter-block switchingelement 40 by a block routing buffer 48 may not always be immediatelyprovided to, for example, another block routing buffer 48. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, some signals may pass through an isolation buffer50 prior to, for example, being provided to another block routing buffer48 in an adjacent inter-block switching element 40. FIG. 13 illustratesan embodiment of an isolation buffer 50 that may be utilized to providesignals from one inter-block switching element 40 to another inter-blockswitching element 40.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the isolation buffer 50 includes a junctionrouting port 262 as well as an isolation routing port 264. Asillustrated, junction routing port 262 may be coupled to abi-directional path 266 so that signals may be provided to and receivedfrom conductors 46 of the inter-block switching element 40 at junctionrouting port 262. Additionally, isolation routing port 264 may becoupled to a bi-directional path 268 so that signals may be provided toand received from another isolation buffer 50 prior to being provided toconductors 46 of an adjacent inter-block switching element 40. As may beappreciated, the signals may be provided from conductors 46 of aninter-block switching element 40 to isolation buffer 50, to anotherisolation buffer 50 via isolation routing port 264, and to conductors 46of an adjacent inter-block switching element, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

To accomplish this routing, isolation buffer 50 may include twouni-directional drive elements 270, 272. As illustrated, theuni-directional drive elements 270, 272 provide signals along outputpaths 266, 268, respectively. Moreover, at any given time, the isolationbuffer 50 may be functioning to receive signals or provide signals.Accordingly, isolation buffer 50 includes control inputs 274, 276.Control inputs 274, 276, may allow for the isolation buffer 50 to beprogrammably set to provide signals or receive signals. For example,control input 274 may receive and provide a control signal to theuni-directional drive element 270 to activate the uni-directional driveelement 270 to receive a signal from junction routing port 262 andprovide the received signal from isolation routing port 264 to anadjacent isolation buffer 50. Similarly, control input 276 may receiveand provide a control signal to the uni-directional drive element 272 toactivate the uni-directional drive element 272 to receive a signal froman adjacent isolation buffer 50 and provide the signal to an inter-blockswitching element 40 via junction routing port 262. Additionally, in atleast one embodiment, the isolation buffer 50 may operate as anamplifier to amplify the signals provided from isolation routing port264 to an adjacent isolation buffer 50 so as to prevent, for example,signal degradation as signals are provided between adjacent isolationbuffers 50.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and have been described in detail herein.However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended tobe limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention isto cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the followingappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a routing buffercomprising: a first port configured to receive a signal relating to ananalysis of at least a portion of a data stream; a second portconfigured to selectively provide the signal to a first routing line ofa block of a state machine at a first time; and a third port configuredto selectively provide the signal to a second routing line of the blockof the state machine at the first time.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the routing buffer comprises a bi-directional drive elementcoupled between the first port and the second port.
 3. The device ofclaim 2, wherein the routing buffer comprises a first control inputconfigured to activate the bi-directional drive element to provide thesignal from the second port.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein therouting buffer comprises a uni-directional drive element coupled betweenthe first port and the third port.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein therouting buffer comprises a second control input configured to activatethe uni-directional drive element to provide the signal from the thirdport.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a firstsignal and wherein the routing buffer further comprises a fourth portconfigured to selectively provide a second signal relating to ananalysis of at least a portion of the data stream received at the secondport at a second time, wherein the first port is configured toselectively provide the second signal at the second time.
 7. The deviceof claim 6, wherein the routing buffer comprises a third control inputconfigured to activate a bi-directional drive element to provide thesecond signal from the first port.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein therouting buffer comprises a uni-directional drive element coupled betweenthe second port and the fourth port.
 9. The device of claim 8, whereinthe routing buffer comprises a fourth control input configured toactivate the uni-directional drive element to provide the second signalfrom the fourth port.
 10. A device, comprising: a state machinecomprising: a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks comprising: aplurality of rows, each of the rows comprising a plurality ofprogrammable elements, each of the programmable elements configured toanalyze at least a portion of a data stream and to selectively outputthe result of the analysis; and an intra-block switch configured toselectively route the result; and a routing buffer coupled to one of theblocks and configured to: receive the result from the intra-block switchat a first port; and selectively provide the result from a second portand a third port of the routing buffer simultaneously.
 11. The device ofclaim 10, wherein the intra-block switch comprises a plurality of rowrouting lines configured to be selectively coupled to the programmableelements and configured to provide the results from the programmableelements.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the intra-block switchcomprises a plurality of block routing lines configured to beselectively coupled to the plurality of row routing lines.
 13. Thedevice of claim 12, wherein the intra-block switch comprises a pluralityof junction points configured to selectively couple the block routinglines to the plurality of row routing lines.
 14. The device of claim 10,wherein the routing buffer comprises a bi-directional drive elementcoupled between the first port and the second port.
 15. The device ofclaim 14, wherein the routing buffer comprises a control inputconfigured to activate the bi-directional drive element to provide theresult from the second port.
 16. The device of claim 10, wherein therouting buffer comprises a uni-directional drive element coupled betweenthe first port and the third port.
 17. The device of claim 16, whereinthe routing buffer comprises a control input configured to activate theuni-directional drive element to provide the first signal from the thirdport.
 18. A method, comprising: receiving at a first port of a routingbuffer a signal relating to an analysis of at least a portion of a datastream; providing from a second port of the routing buffer the signal toa first block routing line of a block of a state machine at a firsttime; and providing from a third port of the routing buffer the signalto a second block routing line of the block of the state machine at thefirst time.
 19. The method of claim 18, comprising receiving at anintra-block switch of the block of the state machine the signal fromboth the first block routing line and the second block routing line. 20.The method of claim 19, comprising: providing the signal from the firstblock routing line to a first row routing line in the intra-blockswitch; and providing the signal from the second block routing line to asecond row routing line in the intra-block switch.
 21. The method ofclaim 20, comprising: providing the signal from the first row routingline to a first programmable element; and providing the signal from thesecond row routing line to a second programmable element.
 22. The methodof claim 21, comprising: activating the first programmable elementresponsive to the signal; and activating the second programmable elementresponsive to the signal.